User manual templates are ready to use documents that anyone can utilize to make user manuals for a particular product, device or software etc. here you can also get a free and customizable user manual template which is suitable to make manuals for all types of goods and products. User manual is a small booklet or written guideline on few pages that explains how to handle or operate something using step by step guides and instructions available in the user manual. User manuals are usually prepared by manufacturers and accompanying technical devices, products or machines and explaining how to operate, handle or install something effectively.
Importance of user manual template
Foxit User Manuals In this section, you can download user manuals in PDF format for each product listed below. These documents will provide you with detailed installation and un-installation instructions, system requirements, step-by-step operation, etc. We provide online Software for schools and studios to manage their business. Manula is very streamlined, looks great to the end user and very easy for an end user to search and navigate. It easily allows us to embed videos into the manual which is a great asset to our support efforts.
User manual sounds like a written guide or account of information about how to handle the product, machine or device accordingly. User manual is also known as user guide, user instruction manual and instruction manual etc. A user manual can come with any technical device, machine or software to explain users and consumers about safe handling and operating the device or machine properly. User manual may contain written instructions or step by step guide in visual format. Most of companies and manufacturers prepare user manuals like a video.
Carefully and detailed user manual provides information for recommended and desired use of the product in concise and jargon free manner. Many business establishments and companies provide user manuals for their products and devices online on official websites so consumers can easily access user manuals online via internet connection. If you are a manufacturer and want to prepare user manuals for your products or devices yourself, then we have something useful for you in shape of user manual template. This user manual template is free to download and very easy to edit as needed. One should customize the user manual template in recommended format to get desired results.
User Manual Templates Are Here
Template For User Manual
User Guide/Manual
User Manual Blank Template
Finance User Manual
User Manual Sample
PilotMail User Manual
Software User Manual
End User Manual Example
A user guide, also commonly called a technical communication document or manual, is intended to give assistance to people using a particular system.[1] It is usually written by a technical writer, although user guides are written by programmers, product or project managers, or other technical staff, particularly in smaller companies.[2]
User guides are most commonly associated with electronic goods, computer hardware and software, although they can be written for any product.[3]
Software User Manual Contents
Most user guides contain both a written guide and associated images. In the case of computer applications, it is usual to include screenshots of the human-machine interface(s), and hardware manuals often include clear, simplified diagrams. The language used is matched to the intended audience, with jargon kept to a minimum or explained thoroughly.
Contents of a user manual[edit]
The sections of a user manual often include:
- A cover page
- A title page and copyright page
- A preface, containing details of related documents and information on how to navigate the user guide
- A contents page
- A Purpose section. This should be an overview rather than detail the objective of the document
- An Audience section to explicitly state who is not as well as who is required to read, including optionals
- A Scope section is crucial as it also serves as a disclaimer, stating what is out-of-scope as well as what is covered
- A guide on how to use at least the main function of the system
- A troubleshooting section detailing possible errors or problems that may occur, along with how to fix them
- A FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
- Where to find further help, and contact details
- A glossary and, for larger documents, an index
History[edit]
User guides have been found with ancient devices. One example is the Antikythera Mechanism[4], a 2,000 year old Greek analogue computer that was found off the coast of the Greek island Antikythera in the year 1900. On the cover of this device are passages of text which describe the features and operation of the mechanism.
Software User Manual Template
As the software industry was developing, the question of how to best document software programs was undecided. This was a unique problem for software developers, since users often became frustrated with current help documents[5]. Some considerations for writing a user guide that developed at this time include:
- the use of plain language[5]
- length and reading difficulty[5]
- the role of printed user guides for digital programs[6]
- user-centered design[6]
Computer software manuals and guides[edit]
User manuals and user guides for most non-trivial software applications are book-like documents with contents similar to the above list. They may be distributed either in print or electronically. Some documents have a more fluid structure with many internal links. The Google Earth User Guide[7] is an example of this format. The term guide is often applied to a document that addresses a specific aspect of a software product. Some usages are Installation Guide, Getting Started Guide, and various How to guides. An example is the Picasa Getting Started Guide.[8]
In some business software applications, where groups of users have access to only a sub-set of the application's full functionality, a user guide may be prepared for each group. An example of this approach is the Autodesk Topobase 2010 Help[9] document, which contains separate Administrator Guides, User Guides, and a Developer's Guide.
References[edit]
- ^'Online Technical Writing: User Guides'. hcexres@io.com. Retrieved 13 August 2009.
- ^Gary Blake and Robert W. Bly, The Elements of Technical Writing, pg. 143. New York: Macmillan Publishers, 1993. ISBN0020130856
- ^'Manuals Brain - all useful manuals at one place!'. manualsbrain.com. Retrieved 2017-08-15.
- ^'Boffins decipher manual for 2,000-year-old Ancient Greek computer'. Retrieved 2018-11-29.
- ^ abcChafin, Roy (January 1982). 'User Manuals: What Does the User Really Need?'. SIGDOC '82 Proceedings of the 1st annual international conference on systems documentation: 36–39 – via ACM Digital Library.
- ^ abMcKee, John (August 1986). 'Computer User Manuals in Print: Do They Have a Future?'. ACM SIGDOC Asterisk Journal of Computer Documentation. 12: 11–16 – via ACM Digital Library.
- ^'Google Earth User Guide'. Google. 4 June 2009. Retrieved 13 August 2009.
- ^'Getting Started with Picasa: Getting Started Guide'. Google. 15 June 2009. Retrieved 13 August 2009.
- ^'Autodesk Topobase 2010 Help'. Autodesk. Retrieved 13 August 2009.
- ^Manualdevices - Free User Manual 'Manualdevices - Free User Manual ', Retrieved on 01 August 2019.